Forget money, convenience is the new currency in America. In our increasingly on-the-run society, it’s nothing short of a virtue to obtain life’s necessities in a way that can be grabbed, packed, and used without any hassle. Product packaging companies have been working in overdrive these past years to meet this new type of customer demand, especially using flexible plastic pouches.
The Pouch Trend
Flexible plastic pouches are beginning to edge out traditional paper, glass, metal, and rigid plastic packages, so much so that global market demand for pouches is expected to rise more than 6 percent a year. These pouches most commonly contain soft food like applesauce and fruit and veggie blends, but the pharmaceutical/medical, beverage industries come in second and third after food.
Japan Started the Trend
Japan was a step ahead of America when it came to pouches, and in fact the fast-paced Japanese lifestyle has been taking advantage of pouch packaging since the 1970s. Though it arose out of a need to provide convenience for women entering the workforce, today the pouches also allow meals and pre-cut single-serving vegetables and meats for Japan’s large elderly population.
Seal and Barrier Technology
Pouches are so efficient thanks to advanced seal and barrier technologies that help food stay fresh throughout the supply chain. Better yet, pouches make it easy to meet the growing consumer demand for healthy, untainted products that are healthy while remaining convenient.
In addition, since the pouches are smaller and thinner than other traditional packaging methods, they waste far less plastic and retain a higher product-to-package ratio. This not only increases efficiency but also significantly cuts the energy required during production and transportation.
The next step is to make pouches recyclable so they have a final destination other than a landfill.
